Cooking With Fresh Local Produce

Last night was Girls Night, and my turn to host. I procured (well, my Mom did)  some local seasonal produce (rhubarb and asparagus) from an Amish farm stand and put it to good use (using my best girlfriends as guinea pigs)! Actually, I made a few old favorites and ONE new recipe: Baked Triple Veggie Dip. I served the dip as an appetizer, but I'm thinking it could seriously be a light entree in the summer (with a glass of really cold white or rose wine)! It got a thumbs-up from everyone, including my 3-year-old daughter (of course, she loves veggies anyway). Anywho...the dinner lineup included: the aforementioned warm veggie dip (accompanied by crackers), oven-roasted sweet potato cubes (see 2/23/12 post for recipe), roast pork tenderloin (have I posted the recipe before?) and rhubarb squares - seriously; hooray for Girls Night!

Baked Triple Veggie Dip (adapted from www.kraftrecipes.com)

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided (I used a five-cheese Italian blend)
1 can (1 pound 3 ounces) asparagus spears, drained and chopped (I used fresh asparagus, steamed and cut into small pieces)
1 pkg. (10 ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 can (8 1/2 ounce) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 container (8 ounce) chive and onion light cream cheese spread
1/2 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Reserve 1/4 cup cheese; set aside.  Mix remaining cheese and all remaining ingredients until blended.  Spoon into a 2-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with reserved cheese.  Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve hot with crackers.

I come from a long line of rhubarb-lovers, and have several recipes for preparing the funny looking stems. This recipe comes from a family friend, and I don't really know where it originated.  What I DO know is that it's quick and yummy, and once again, my 3-year-old loved it! I "halved" this recipe to accommodate the amount of rhubarb I had, and we STILL had leftovers! Yay!

Pam's Rhubarb Squares (special thanks to Pamela Houseman)

2 cups flour

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

Blend and press into a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whip together:

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Add 4 cups chopped rhubarb and stir to combine.  Spread mixture over warm crust and bake for 40-45 minutes.  Cut into squares.